Shinigami in the Ninja World (Re-upload)

A miraculous light appeared over the Quincy, but instead of joy, their faces reflected fear and disbelief. Many looked confused, shocked, or utterly lost.

They quickly realized this light did not originate from their own powers. As the light intensified, they felt their 'Schrift' powers draining away.

They all understood what this meant. They had once received power from this source… and now, that same power was being stripped from them.

"So, this is your choice, Your Majesty?" Bazz-B shouted toward the sky, his face twisted in rage. Standing opposite him, Tōshirō Hitsugaya blinked in surprise.

"Your Majesty?" Hitsugaya wondered aloud. Could this light truly be connected to Yhwach?

At first, he thought it might be Mayuri Kurotsuchi's doing, as the Quincy's power seemed to be weakening.

"His Majesty has… abandoned us," one of the Quincies muttered, falling to his knees, defeated and broken. No injury from the battle had diminished his spirit, but this light—a light causing no physical harm—pushed him into despair.

The wounds inflicted by betrayal from one's own god are often the deepest.

"It's the power of 'Auswählen,'" Kisuke Urahara said, appearing on the battlefield alongside one of Mayuri's clones. "Yhwach has the ability to bestow power onto others, and he can also reclaim that power at will."

"Right now, he's reclaiming the strength he once gave them," Urahara continued grimly. "Things in the Royal Palace may not be going well."

The Shinigami who overheard were wide-eyed, stunned by the implications. These Quincy wielded strange, formidable powers, and all of it had come directly from Yhwach. And if Yhwach could reclaim it all…

Just how powerful had he now become?

"Where's Captain Naruto?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked urgently, still in combat mode.

"He's already returned to the Royal Palace," Urahara replied with a cheerful grin.

Tōshirō let out a relieved breath. Captain Naruto was there. No matter what might be unfolding above, there was still hope.

"Well then," Urahara tilted his head, glancing at Bazz-B. "Let's finish the task Naruto entrusted to us."

Mayuri scoffed. "I'm not interested in this one. His power doesn't seem particularly special. Now, someone like Haschwalth or Valkyrie… those are worthy specimens. Or…"

"The Quincy who fought Naruto earlier would've been perfect too. Shame he was killed," Mayuri added with a hint of regret.

Urahara shook his head. "Our priority is fulfilling Naruto's request."

"Picking a better subject wouldn't take much time," Mayuri argued, casting a mocking glance at the defeated, crestfallen Quincies. "Given that we have options, shouldn't we choose carefully?"

Although these Quincies had once wielded 'Schrift' powers, not all were equal in strength. Now that they had options, Mayuri intended to be selective.

"Fine," Urahara replied, waving his hand. "Let's take what we need."

"These ones were troublesome once," Mayuri sneered, unsheathing his sword as he walked toward those who still piqued his interest. "But now they're nothing more than defeated strays—no threat at all."

His attitude was dismissive, but his actions were precise and calculated.

Many Quincies had simply lost some spiritual energy. The ones whose spirits had not been crushed by 'Auswählen' were the individuals Mayuri found most suitable. However, the fact that they were less affected meant they retained more strength. Capturing them wouldn't be easy.

...

Above Seireitei, outside the Royal Palace:

"Reviving one's subordinates—what an incredible ability," Ichibē Hyōsube observed, stroking Ichimonji as he faced Yhwach. "You didn't reveal such a power a thousand years ago."

Yhwach shook his head, almost wistful. "Why would I have needed to?"

"Did you really think I 'lost' to Yamamoto back then?"

Ichibē's face remained placid, even as he brandished Ichimonji with childlike earnestness. "Perhaps you lost for other reasons a thousand years ago," he said.

"But now, you're facing me."

"In truth…" he paused, then continued, unashamed, "I just lost to Naruto Uzumaki not too long ago."

"I need to rebuild my confidence against you."

"Otherwise, even I would start to worry I'm being left behind by the world."

Ichimonji swung forward, and Yhwach met the attack with his own blade, seemingly unfamiliar with Ichibē's power.

Ink splattered, staining everything in inky darkness.

The unleashed Shin'uchi Shirafude Ichimonji activated, and Ichibē inscribed the words "Black Ant" in stark white ink across Yhwach's body.

"The Yhwach who once battled Yamamoto is now reduced to a black ant."

"Your current power is no different than that of ants crawling aimlessly on the ground, oblivious to their fate."

"Life is as fragile as it is ephemeral," Ichibē said, narrowing his eyes, assured that his sword's effect had taken hold of Yhwach.

His hidden disdain simmered just beneath the surface. Ichibē knew exactly whom his disdain was meant for and whom it was not. Naruto Uzumaki was one of his own, a young man—and, critically, stronger than him—so that disdain couldn't and shouldn't be directed toward him.

But Yhwach was different. He was an enemy and weaker.

"The gap in strength between us is that vast," Ichibē continued. "Naruto Uzumaki's concern for Ichigo Kurosaki gave me pause, almost as if you might be a genuinely formidable opponent."

"Let's put an end to this—I'll crush you like the ant you are."

He stretched out his hand and brought it down forcefully, as if crushing an ant.

Yhwach's body, which moments ago had remained unscathed under Ichibē's giant hand, now shattered like glass, black cracks spreading everywhere.

"It's over," Ichibē said. "This war, which looked so grand, is done—"

His gaze shifted toward the other Quincy, prepared to deal with those he saw as barely surviving threats. But instead of their words, Ichibē heard Yhwach's deep voice.

"Over?" Yhwach murmured. "Why would you make such an assumption?"

"Even Naruto Uzumaki saw how truly powerful I am, yet you seem so careless, so self-assured, thinking yourself untouchable," he continued, his voice carrying a mocking edge. "But between us, who truly holds a higher status?"

Ichibē's eyes widened in surprise. Yhwach's body, though struck by him, appeared almost unscathed, and the mark Ichibē had written—the words "Black Ant" in white ink—still remained.

"You're still alive?"

Yhwach chuckled softly. "Did you assume my closed eyes meant defeat?"

He opened his eyes slowly, revealing flickers of what seemed like twin pupils within each iris.

"It's been a long road, but after that last 'Auswählen,' I am now ready."

His spiritual pressure didn't surge—but his aura became almost unfathomable, distant. He brushed a hand across his clothes, and the black and white ink markings fell away like ice crystals.

Ichibē felt a jolt of shock. Once again, his power had been thwarted. Naruto's strength had been understandable—he wielded powers beyond this world. But how could Yhwach resist Ichimonji?

"Don't be deceived by what you see," Yhwach continued. "You may see my eyes open, but these eyes are simply for observing the world—they were never truly open until now."

He paused, then in a calm voice added, "Do you remember the prayer my Quincy spoke as I entered the Royal Palace?"

"The sealed King of the Quincy. Over 900 years, he shall recover his heartbeat. Over 90 years, he shall recover his intellect. Over nine years, he shall recover his power. And over nine days, he shall recover the world."

"Today marks the final moment of that ninth day. My 'Schrift' is the letter 'A,' and my ability is 'The Almighty.'"

Ichibē's expression grew grave as he processed Yhwach's words.

"It's amusing, that look of disbelief," Yhwach observed with a slight smile. "Allow me to explain."

"I, now with fully opened eyes and all my strength restored, can see through every moment from now until the farthest reaches of the future."

"Anything that I can observe becomes a part of my power."

"Whatever tricks you have, whatever efforts you make—none of it can affect me. That's my ability: 'The Almighty.'"

Ichibē's face tightened, but he pressed on. "I see. You claim to know the future, to turn it into your power."

"However…" Ichibē smiled widely, almost innocently, "have you really foreseen everything?"

Yhwach hesitated briefly.

"So, you can't see Naruto Uzumaki, can you?" Ichibē taunted. "You can't predict his impact."

Yhwach reached into the air, closing his fist as if capturing something. "Merely an unpredictable outlier. In the face of my strength, even if he's unseen, what difference does it make? My goals do not concern him."

Ichibē put his hands together in a

prayer-like gesture. "No. That means you and I both will fall to Naruto Uzumaki."

"More than that, it proves your power is limited to a framework; outside it, your 'Almighty' is not all-knowing."

He stomped his foot and began a solemn, ancient dance—a primal offering to the Soul King, from a time before the Three Worlds were born. His chanting accompanied the dance.

"Oh Twilight, and everlasting darkness, come to me, come and have a drink, and once you do, your life will fade."

"The flowers will bloom along the road to hell."

"Where are the fish, let me paint them black, cut them into eight, and cook them well atop a flame of black, and then enjoy the meal."

"All that's left are bones of white, make them a gravestone, and pay respect."

Rather than a spoken spell, it felt more fitting to call it a "Hymn of Sacrifice." The melody was steeped in sorrow, solemn and desolate.

The final line left his lips.

"May they never be reborn again, so that you won't be sacrificed as food."

Ichibe ceased his dance, his gaze turning fierce as he glared at Yhwach.

"Futen Taisatsuryō."

A pitch-black shrine silently rose behind him.

"In addition to naming every soul in the Seireitei, I have another authority—dominion over all darkness in this world." Ichibē maintained his prayer-like stance, his tone still holding traces of the sorrowful chant. "Now, covered in black as you are, your body falls under my control."

"The blackness entwining your body, blood, flesh, bones, every part of you…"

"Will transform into void, into pure nothingness."

"Fall into a pitch-black hell—"

Yhwach, having observed in silence for some time, finally spoke, his tone calm. "I already told you—my eyes can see everything."

"Have you not understood what that means?"

"Whatever methods you use, whatever countermeasures you try to employ, none of it surprises me."

He lifted his head, and his twin-pupilled eyes flashed.

"Are you still trying to erase my name and existence with this power?"

"Remember it well, then."

"My name is Yhwach."

"I am the one who will take everything from you, and from all three worlds."

As he finished speaking, the 'Futen Taisatsuryō' spell, powerful enough to still the heavens, dissipated quietly. Its energy, instead of vanishing, poured back into Ichibē's body, filling him to bursting until his limbs exploded and his body disappeared with a pop, like a bubble of ink. Only his head remained, rolling along the ground.

"Blot of darkness, be gone."

Yhwach walked over, giving the head a casual kick as he looked up toward the pillar-like structure at the center of the palace.

"Now, it's your turn."

"And soon…"

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I look forward to our first meeting."

…

In Ōetsu Nimaiya's City, Hōōden:

Ichigo Kurosaki, who had just received his new blade, turned to gaze into the distance.

The Royal Guard members had told him to wait a bit before continuing his training.

But now…

Why had their spiritual pressure just vanished?

~~~

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